CEO Note: Our New Orangutan Campaign in the NYT
Dear friend,
I’m excited to share the launch of our new orangutan protection campaign this morning, accompanied by two New York Times articles, an investigative piece and an exposé of the RV industry’s impact. They came out of Mighty Earth’s recent Borneo expedition with SE Asia Bureau Chief Sui-Lee Wee, co-reporter and translator Muktita Suhartono, and Ulet Ifansasti, who took the stunning photos.
Forest Commodities Director Amanda Hurowitz with Satya Bumi, Link-AR Borneo, The NY Times team, and indigenous Dayak men from Sabar Bubu.
The investigations expose the destruction of 100,000 acres of orangutan habitat and Indigenous Dayak forest. fueled by Winnebago and other RV companies. It’s Indonesia’s largest deforestation in years.
We caught suppliers Mayawana Persada and its affiliate Alas Kusuma red-handed, excavating deep peat in violation of Indonesian law; we also found orangutan nests and sun bear footprints in areas slated for destruction.
A log pile in Mayawana Persada.
Surprisingly, American RV makers like Winnebago, Thor, I nc. and Forest River, along with suppliers like Patrick Industries. and MJB, have been snapping up meranti wood, also known as lauan, from this and other concessions to make the interior walls in RVs. The RV makers should have known better: we filed an FSC complaint back in summer 2023 detailing the issues.
Their recklessness means that nature-loving American RV drivers have been unwittingly riding around visiting American forests, lakes, and canyons with a forest full of endangered Indonesia wood. Our new campaign asks RV fans to call for companies to shift to responsible sourcing. You simply don’t have to destroy an ancient rainforest to have an awesome summer trip.
This investigation shows we must stay vigilant amidst one of the world’s great conservation successes: Indonesia has successfully reduced commercial deforestation by about 90%. However, a handful of unprincipled companies have attempted to evade forest protections and Indonesian law.
As horrendous as the destruction is, we’re pleased to report that the scrutiny has helped: although much forest had already been destroyed, the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry ultimately ordered the company to halt its bulldozers. The Indonesian government knows how to defend the environment when the destruction is made public. We need to ensure the RV industry and other companies never perpetrate an environmental crime like this again so Indonesia can continue its progress.
The investigative team waits for the rain to stop before launching a drone to capture the deforestation of the concession from the air.
I also want to extend SO MUCH appreciation to our partners Satya Bumi, Link-AR Borneo, Earthsight, Auriga Nusantara for their exceptional investigative work; and to my colleagues Amanda Hurowitz, Carole Mitchell, Katie Yared, Phil Aikman, and Thea Parson for their hard work over the past 20 months to make this story come to life.
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